Thiel Owners

Thanks guys.  Good to know re the MW KWA 150 SE, but it's in another league compared to the 100, spec and price wise.  Dan didn't share any details in terms of peak current, his was just a quick response.  I do have the newer tweeters, same as the 2.4s I think.  Guess it's smarter to hold off and consider either the Peachtree or LSA GaN or maybe Audio GD Master 3A or used Ayre.  

@thosb,:

Thiel CS2.3 Loudspeaker Specifications | Stereophile.com

Thiel CS2.3 Loudspeaker Measurements | Stereophile.com

Thiel's recommended power for the CS 2.3's was between 100 and 400 Watts per channel for an amplifiers standard 8 Ohm rated output.  Thiel also suggested a minimum of a 3 Ohm load, how ever as indicated in the 2nd link independent testing demonstrated a 2 Ohm minimum load and with a high capacitive phase angle to boot. 

This all suggests that ideally one would have amplification capable of delivering between 400 and 1600 Watts per channel into 2 Ohms, depending of course on one's room and desired volume levels. Be wary of amplifier manufacturers claims of "being stable into 2 Ohms". That only suggests that the amp won't go into oscillation when presented with a 2 Ohm load, not how much power it will actually provide, or how much distortion will occur at 2 Ohms, or how it good or bad it will actually sound into 2 Ohm loads. I think you'll find that theses requirements will make your short list that much shorter.

"Do you recall the peak Amperes of the KWA 150SE ? This measurement or Slew Rate are strong indicators on the performance of a Power amp."

There are tons of reviews out there (e.g. 

  but need to translate it - explains the differences between the 150 and 150 SE)

I'm not aware of any (review) that has detailed measurements.  I knew of people who upgraded the 150 to 150SE and there are reported large differences.  

The problem with something like that (and remember I still own the LS36.5DM preamp) is of course system synergy.  The other problem is that the design is not really new.  As with anything, technology tends to improve with age.  The 150SE currently lists for $11k.  Probably due to its age and other advancing technologies, it doesn't have a particularly good resale value (e.g. just go to hifishark and do a search of sold ones).  I'd guess the average sales price is around a third of its current retail.  That's fairly low for an audio component that is a current model.

I think that much of the problem is due to the fact that audiophiles have owned it (like me) and tried some of the newer technologies (and my Thiel 3.7s are not an easy load) and realize it is no longer competitive, even at used value.  The ultra high end (e.g. well above the current list price of the Modwright) may be a different story.  Audiophiles, manufacturers, retail stores, etc., tend to live in the past in many cases.  If, for example, they heard an amp of a particular brand and it had a reputation for a particular sound signature in the past (say a decade back, give or take), that tends to stick for a while (I had friends who used to work at retail and that's what they would convey to customers).  All I can say in my system, there is no comparison between the modded Voyager I currently own as well as the modded dual mono IceEdge I had before it vs. the Modwright.  I've had people over familiar with my system and they concurred.

I think audio wise, down the road, we will be dealing with many more speaker products that are active where one only plugs in the source.

I purchased a pair of used 3.6 speakers a few weeks ago and try as I might, they are just too bright to live in my system. 

I first drove them with Herron M1 150 watt monoblocks.  I bought a pair of Ampzilla 2000 Second Edition monoblocks to see if they would sound better with more power.  The dynamics improved, but they still sound bright.  The Ampzillas are rated at 300/540 into 8/4 ohms.  Stereo Magazine measured them at 390/680 and they are supposed to be stable into 1 ohm.  

I put my Harbeth Super HL5 Plus speakers back into the system and they sound sublime with the Ampzillas.  They had a little bit of a hard edge at times with the Herron amps, but that is gone with the Ampzillas.

My room is less than perfect, and could be contributing to the issue.  The right speaker is near a side wall, but the Harbeths as well as my KEF Ref 1 and Stirling LS3/6 speakers all work great there.  

I really like everything about the 3.6s except the brightness.  If I could tame that, they might knock out my newer and more expensive speakers. 

My options for placement are limited and I'm not going to spend even more on amplification for 20ish year old speakers.  I had them about 9 feet from my listening position and just slightly toed in.

If there are other suggestions to tame them, I'd love to hear them.  I've also reached out to Rob at Coherent Source Service to see if he has any upgrade or mod options.

What cabling are you using?  Sometimes the cables can accentuate or increase brightness.  I had a friend complain about that in a system a year or so ago.  He ended up changing the preamp from what I recall.  I did make him something that tends to be a bit more laid back vs. what he was using cable wise to try.